BoutiqueDesign.com - Design Conscious Blog

DREAMbook Brain Teaser

Posted by Sipco News Network

8/25/2008 10:21:55 AM

1. Some months have 31 days, but others have 30. How many months have 28?

2. Divide 30 by half and add ten. What do you get?

3. If you only had one match and you entered a COLD and DARK room where there was an oil lamp, oil heater, and a candle, which would you light first?

4. A man builds a house with four sides of a rectangular construction, each side having a Southern exposure. A bear comes along. What color is the bear?

5. In the Christian religion, how many species of each animal did Moses take on his ark?

ANSWERS:

1. 12. All of them have at least 28 days!

2. Did you think it was 25? Dividing anything by half means multiplying it by two. So 30 * 2 = 60 + 10 = 70.

3. The match!

4. White. If all of the sides are facing South, then the house must be on the North Pole, making the bear a polar bear.

5. None, it was Noah.

Drool-Worthy Product of the Week Rondelle by Leucos

Posted by Hannah Joseph

8/22/2008 4:11:49 PM

The Rondelle suspended lighting gives modern design a retro feel with fifteen brightly colored polycarbonate disks. Each disk is attached to a polished chrome metal support and a conical canopy. Fluorescent light emits from the center and reflects off the surfaces of the disks, giving off a funky iridescent glow.

This piece is available in bright orange, grey, violet and deep amber. Visit www.leucos.com for more information about the Rondelle.

Getting to Know... Pierpaolo Seguso

Posted by Hannah Joseph

8/22/2008 3:40:35 PM

Pierpaolo Seguso is the creative director and a designer at Donghia, Inc. He spoke to us about some of his inspirations and how he got where he is today.

What do you do? Why?

Primarily I design lighting, furniture and accessories for the interior design and table top industries. I love to come up with unique designs and ideas, whether it be product or space. I've conceptualized store design for several different fashion industry brands and I am starting to work with residential client�le.

What was the first thing that you designed?

My first attempt at design was for a sail boat when I was a member of the Italian National Sailing Team (my design was never realized though!). The very first thing actually produced from one of my designs was a glass vase inspired by an old and traditional shape but with a completely modern look.

What was the last thing that you designed?

Many things of late: The lighting and furniture for Italian fashion designer, Anna Molinari's Villa in Forte dei Marmi Itlay, a contemporary art gallery �Roscano,� the �Luna� lighting collection for Donghia, Inc. and the �Evanescenze� collection for Seguso Vetri d`Arte. I am also working on the Seguso Company's furniture line and a new table top collection for Donghia.

Who are your idols?

I do not have one specific idol since they are changing all of the time. Right now in the design industry I have a great appreciation for the intelligent vision of Phillpe Stark and the elegance and clean, contemporary style of Herzog de Muron. I am also drawn to the integrity and idealism of designers like Franco Albini and Walter Gropius. They are less known than the famous Mies van de Rohe, Le Corbusier or Wright - but played a major role in redefining the modernist style. However those that really are an inspiration to me surround me all the time - the craftsman and artisans that spend their lifetimes creating beauty, without ever being in the spotlight or living a glamorous lifestyle, but are just completely satisfied to work on what they love.

What would you like to do that is unrelated to your current profession?

If I didn't have such a strong professional mission in my life I would work for an organization like Green Peace or Amnesty International.

Where do you go for inspiration?

I feel that inspiration is everywhere. It is just a matter of paying close attention to the world around us, and from this, we can find countless sources of inspiration. Living in NY clearly serves as a great source of inspiration with its diversity. Since I travel a lot I try to take the time to meet as many new people as I can and see the many different things the world has to offer, but after than I need time for myself, time of silence to meditate and reorganize my feelings. What is special about inspiration is that you never know when it is going to come, and when it does - it is like a gift, at that point you have to be ready. I think it is essential to keep challenging oneself all of the time, being open to new things and understanding what is important. We work to satisfy people's needs and we need to focus on those needs, knowing that the majority of the time its the small details that differentiates good from great.

What is your favorite thing?

After spending time with family and my closest friends, I like the feeling of freedom I have when riding my motorcycle.

What I Do: Stephanie Moffitt Mokum Textiles

Posted by Sipco News Network

8/15/2008 3:06:28 PM

Stephanie Moffitt grew up in New Zealand's North Island and developed a passion for textiles while studying at the Wellington School of Design. She began her career at Mokum Textiles completing her studies, working as a part-time showroom assistant. It was just a few years later that she was promoted to Mokum's first in-house textile designer. Today, she has been with the company for 15 years and heads the design studio, now based in Sydney, as design director.

What do you do? Why?

As director of design for the company I work closely with our designers in the development of our three brands; Mokum, Loop and Meridian. We like to take a cultural approach to textile design, creating thematic collections, developed with integrity of design process. We are careful to work with the best available mills from around the world to maintain this integrity. I also see great importance in nurturing each designer's talent and there is great opportunity for them to develop their skills while maintaining the brand aesthetic.

I want to create textiles which are representative of Australasia's contemporary lifestyle and cultural history as I believe our culture and environment are the strongest influences on design.

What's the big idea?

We want to offer design-driven textiles inspired by our unique culture. Australia is still such a youthful nation but has a strong connection to its colonial past, contrasted by an ancient indigenous culture. Our proximity to Asia has also created a long term love affair with simplicity and modernism, all of which impact on our choices.

Australians are known for their casual lifestyles, so we tend to simplify our designs through our choice of motif and repeat system and through constructions and colors. This results in an unconventional mix of design, scale and construction.

What is your favorite item in your house? Why?

My wedding dress by Australian Designer Akira Isogawa. It is not only a piece of textile art in itself, but a personal belonging that evokes such special memories of the day itself.

What do you wish the world knew about your product's design process?

The amount of people and production involved in the whole process is incredible. The design process itself is very complex and you wouldn't believe the amount of detail required to produce one yard of fabric; from initial sketch, weave selection and refinement, color selection, through to the selection of appropriate finishing.

What's your mantra?

There is always room for improvement.

What keeps you motivated?

Knowing that every new collection we produce grows and develops and we always learn from what we have just created and infuse those lessons into our current collections. I am motivated by making our next collection our best!

What is your favorite place? Why?

Whangapoa (pronounced Fongapowa) Beach in the North Island of New Zealand. It is an unspoiled area of great natural beauty and evokes a great sense of calm whenever I visit. It is also filled with wonderful memories as it is where my husband and I were married.

What's your favorite saying?

Wicked! (Classic New Zealand slang meaning 'fantastic')

What's next?

The studio is researching ancient tribal art from around the world for the next collection of our commercial brand Loop. We discovered that common markings and patterns were emerging from distantly located prehistoric cultures. Inspired by this human synergy, Loop will take this research and develop it into an exciting range of modern textiles, uniting these ancient tribes and re-introducing their art back into the 21st Century.

Our Mokum brand has just launched a collection inspired by French archives from the Rococo period, taking direct inspiration from the life and style of Marie Antoinette. We are now looking towards high glamour, and will create a collection based on fashion from the early twentieth century.

Lastly Meridian expands its outdoor line next year with a collection of solution dyed olefin jacquards inspired by Australian Botanicals.

Related links:

Mokum Textiles

On Cloud Nine with Bear Creek Glass

Posted by Kelley Granger

8/15/2008 2:50:00 PM

Change pressure in the atmosphere with Cloud, a whimsical bouquet of lit globes by Bear Creek Glass. The striking light fixture is a cumulus replica that's available with three, seven, or 13 globes and comes in a variety of colors including ivory (shown here), desert sunset, clear and sky blue.

Related links:

Bear Creek Glass

DREAMbook's YourSpace Rebecca Goldberg, The Inside Scoop

Posted by Rebecca Goldberg

8/8/2008 3:18:07 PM

It's time for another YourSpace survey! Get your outlooks up and email your answers to hannah@sipco.net. We'll post them on our website, and maybe even feature you in our upcoming fridayheads. In the meantime, check out some responses from our very own editor-in-chief, Rebecca Goldberg.

Rebecca Goldberg, Boutique Design "Mom"

1. What is the strangest pet you've ever owned? Herman the hermit crab. I had him for one year, after I took him home from a vacation to Delaware and he never changed shells. He was shell-less when he died, however.

2. Where do you go to relieve your stress?

Barnes & Noble. When all else fails, read a magazine. You'll see how many ideas there are in the world, and feel humbled. And then go to bed.

3. If you had free access to a very loud loudspeaker, what would you tell the world?

That everyone has to calm down � life should not be one continuous emergency. They also need to think more and get more outraged. This contradicts my first thought now doesn't it.

4. What do you wish you could spend more time doing?

Drawing. Using Elmer's Glue. Playing kickball. Seeing concerts. Eating guacamole.

5. Where do you hide your most valuable (sentimental) thing? What is it?

My mother's cameo ring and I keep it on my index finger�most days, when gold matches my outfit. She bought it after she divorced her ex-husband. She sold her engagement ring, paid for the divorce, bought the ring in the process. It's always been a nice symbol of soldiering on for me.

6. If you had one piece of advice to impart on an ex-boyfriend/girlfriend, what would it be?

Stop searching for my name on the internet. It makes me feel uncomfortable.

7. What does the last text message you got say?

Hurry your ass up.

8. What will you be for Halloween?

Joker or maybe Rose McGowan from Planet Terror. That was what I really wanted to be last year.

9. If you could do anything with your appearance without thought to the �business� world, what would you do?

Skull tattoo on my bicep. It's a momento mori. Reminds me that no matter what I do with my life, that will be the only thing that will be left of me. So I better hurry up and get where I want to be before I'm dust.

10. TGIF! Any plans?

Radiohead! Ain't nowhere else I'd rather be.

Drool-Worthy Product of the Week Holy Light, Ray!

Posted by Hannah Joseph

8/8/2008 2:48:24 PM

Maximize your tan with Ray, a lounge chair and ottoman that creates minimum shade! We can't get enough of the little structure.

Ray is brought to us by EXde by Cattaneo, an Italian furniture company. The chair is made of lacquered aluminum and comes in black or white. It is suitable for outdoor use. For more information go to www.exde.it.

Getting to Know: Catherine Hammerton

Posted by Hannah Joseph

8/8/2008 1:57:10 PM

Catherine Hammerton is a designer of printed and embroidered textiles. She loves antique shopping and confides in her tight-knit circle of design friends as they begin their creative journies. Let's find out a little more about Catherine below.

What do you do? Why?

I ask myself that question lots these days! I design and make printed and embroidered textiles and wallpapers for fabulous people. Primarily because I was brought up creatively � mostly colouring books and plasticine � and now because I am not trained to do anything other than what I do.

What was the first thing that you ever designed?

A really dodgy waistcoat with starfish and octopus appliqu�s at comprehensive school. It was dreadful � had a tie dyed sea bed and everything - but I got a taste for textiles and an A for effort! I found it again, in a box at my parent's house, the last time I was home. Hilarious.

What was the latest thing that you've designed?

I am just working on a range of ready to wear wall coverings which will give the aesthetic of my bespoke collection at a fraction of the price. It's great to work to commission, making special things for fabulous people but I am coming full circle and teaching myself the art of clever designing, batch production and number crunching. It's a real challenge at the moment, so fingers crossed it pays off and people like them� eeek!

What do you wish more people knew about your field of design?

That you don't need to match everything to each other. I just read a great article by Lucia Van Der Post (UK journalist for the Times) where she describes the lifelong journey of building the eclectic look to her home. I hope that when I am older I can say, with confidence, that I have lived such a wonderful and varied life without regret and with fabulous furniture to show for it.

Who are your idols?

I adore the work of Rob Ryan; It's honest, sensitive and so very very beautiful. I admire his work ethic, making great things for himself and the following of people who simply love his work. My friends are great inspiration too. We are all just starting our journey of being designers, makers and artists which isn't easy at times. There is often a teary phone call of joy/ hysteria within our circle around the time of an exhibition or product release and the continual question of 'why do we do it to ourselves?'

What would you like to do that is unrelated to your current profession?

Spend more time with my family and friends. Maybe take a nice holiday too.

Where do you look for inspiration?

Everywhere! My partner often complains when romantic mini-break-weekends become a flea market/charity shop/ antique fair hunt� but secretly he loves it, so he can loiter in a pub or coffee shop whilst I search for treasure.

What is your favorite thing?

My niece. A mini-me artist/designer in the making.

DREAMbook Trivia Answers

Posted by Sipco News Network

7/25/2008 1:39:19 PM

How well do you know your movies?

1)B

2)A

3)E

4)C

5)D

Drool-Worthy Product of the Week

Posted by Sipco News Network

7/25/2008 1:13:42 PM

The Oriana Divide, designed by Todd Rugee for The Kentfield Collection, leaves traditional divides in the dust. Room divides, which were once thought of as unattractive four-folds, have been transformed by Rugee's illuminated piece that brings about a newer, albeit brighter, era for the divide. On top of that, Oriana comes in multiple sizes and dimensions to fit any room. The only question left to ask is, �Why wasn't this thought of sooner?�